REFLECTIONS FROM THAMES

NZ Truth, Issue 1061, 25 March 1926, Page 12

REFLECTIONS FROM THAMES

"Quin Abbey")

(By

The Thames Club had a very successful meeting on Saturday, when £15,059 was put through the machine, which is an increase of £2832/10/- on last season. , # # * There was an even class m the fields seen out .on Saturday and the numbers were big m all of the races. The public were well off the mark, not a solitary favorite getting home, * * * The track was as. hard as flint, which affected some of the "tenderfoots" among the light-harness candidates. The Parawai Handicap, the item for slow trotters, proved ' the "one-horse" race so often seen m this division. .# ■ * •' Mollie Park, an aged daughter of Ripon Child from Lady Park and one of A. Newdick's Grey Lynn team went off correctly all the way to win easily m 3.55 3-5. She was fourth favorite, 3c her supporters had a useful start on the money market. * * ■ * Colonel Thorpe, which has been expected for so long, got second and Solon Dillon was a poor third. * # * The Newstead-trained Beauty Spot, which had shown a lot of pace at the Waikato meeting was a hot order m the Hikutaia Handicap, with Alan t McMillan behind her, but she dropped her backers m the first hundred yards. %■ # . • Speed King finished better than Fungus and got the verdict by half a length, with Surveyor a length off m the third place. « * * . 'Of the- trio Surveyor can be sorted out as the one most likely to improve quickest. Paul's gelding should have no trouble m beating the 3.42 recorded m this event. * * # . The President's was easy at the finish to Roe Bell. l The Gold .Bell gelding went very kindly for Alan McMillan and his price was vei-y near double figures. He was clocked 4.55 4-5. ' * # * Amberite got second money, and would have been a lot harder but for leaving his feet at a critical stage of the journey. Mark the Castaway, gelding for an early re--1 turn. it a ■ ■ # ■ Sidelight was making his second appearance when he won the Turua Handicap easily from Glenoe and Fungus. The Brent boeanda gelding was at a long price, and would, have improved on 3.35. . ■ '.'*■ * ' : * Glenoe, an aged mare by Havoc from Glenora tried to win from end to end, but had bellows to mend over the 'final stretch. Despite a re-handicap from 48 to 84yds,. Roe Bell made it two when a decision was asked for m the. Herepeehi .

The winner made some skips but the leaders Avere doing worse and he got up m time to win -by a neck. He was again at a useful price, strange to say.. * # # Amberite was again the runner-up to Roe Bell. « * * Tiki go,t third and -was one of the outsiders of a good-sized field. He was always m the picture. Red Dennis supported the earlier conclusions that he has been overboomed; He had every show here if he only did his work right. . * • • *••■■■.■#. The saddle item, the Puriri Handicap of one mile, proved easy to Our Pirate, the second favorite. The winner is. a chestnut four-year-old gelding by Our Thorpe— Wild Pirate and is one of _J. Paul's .str/ng at Te Awamutu. He improved on his class by 9 3-ssecs. * ■ . , * ■ ■ * „- Beauty Spot left another "black mark" with backers. She tried to go with Our. Pirate but cracked up badly when the pressure was on and a bad second was her lot. • . .* * Gold Sound was coming very well at the finish of the Kopu Handicap after giving the winner, Signorella, a long start. The grey was only a neck out of it. ■.#.■-'# * Old Mount Albert was m third place m the sprint. He's not easy to place these days. *# ■ * If Signorella could be got to do everything up to the ability she is known to be capable of, she would soon earn the right to a much tighter mark than she figures on to-day. But the Antonio chestnut is unreliable. So much so that when she Avon the sprint item at the Thames meeting her usual supporters had deserted her. Those v.'ho luckily "fluked it" got a big price. * «> * ■ The Thames Trotting Cup drew 13 starters, on Saturday. It was a 4.44 class event. Admiral Lock could have won if he had been good enough, as he Clime into the straight m the lead. Rcckburn was just behind the leaders wl.en they swung round the bend for homo, and his driver had to give him only a couple of flicks to shake oft" Master Councillor near the post. The time was 4.37. ' * * * .Rockburn won the Thames Trpttlng Cup, but Master Councillor was a very unlucky horse. If the Councillor gelding had not been the subject of some special attentions at a psychological stage of the journey it appeared that Rockburn would never have got up m time. The "special" attention is not likely to be forgotten .by\, Kvans, the. driver of Master Councillor, whose party wero yery ; confident that their candidate vould prove a hard nut to crack.: